Lubricating attachment for knitting machines



June 5, 1951 w. R. sLAGLE 2,556,007

LUBRICATING ATTACHMENT Fox KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. '7, 1947 .Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES `iA'llbIT OFFICE LUBRIoATIG ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES William'R.' Slagle, Harriman, Tenn. Application January 7, 1947, Serial No. 720,518 'z claims. (c1. esi-s) This invention relates to knitting machines, and more particularly to those of the cylindrical knitting type wherein there are reciprocating elements such as a cylinder and a stern, the said cylinder being a carrier for knitting elements which reciprocate on the outer surface of the cylinder, this being a Well known type oi cylindrical knitting assembly.

In machines of this character, there has been diiilculty in supplying lubricant to the contiguous surfaces of the cylinder and .stem which is desirable in order that the cylinder will work freely in rising and descending, because in machines of this type novv in common use', rust forrosA on the stern` the inner surface of the cylinder, ceasing impairment of the operation that results in a number of defects `in the production, as, 'for instance, in knitting footwear, the knitting is so imperfect as to cause what is known as -loose foot and looper Waste, and .to .rectify and restore the parts to effective `operative oon-` di't'ion, a cam of the machine must be ground or abraded and the cam must then be restored to its normal operative condition so that the looper course is regulated. Another disadvantageous result is that when the rust, to `which rreference has been made, is removed for the purpose ofV remedying "the defects mentioned, lost motion `occurs, due to the loose connection or Contact be# tween the cylinder and the stern, allowing them to'vibrate with relation to each other and causing Wear .to other parts oi the knitting machine with which the stern and cylinder are associated. p

As a further result of the impairment, Vd'.1e A,to the accumulated rust, lthe vlielt develops" 'loose places before the cylinder reaches its lowermost descent, and at other times the cylinder, is arrested before-it reaches its gloviermost point of travel and causes the leg of the stocking to ,be

elongated.

As a further defect, due to"the-accuinulation of rust, the splineor key qWhiohis usually interposed between the cylinder and stem will Wear and, if tlie Wear is even slight, the machine would be thrown out of time and will result in `break-- ing needles and they, of course'Vh-ave to :be` replaced, `so that the 'foregoing andother` results, due to the accumulation of rust, of which those skilled in the art are aware, emphasizes the desirability of effective lubrication Which will prevent either the stern or the cylinder from developing accumulations hazardous to the proper operation of the machine. Therefore, an object cf this invention is to produce novel means for supplying lubricant to the contiguous sur- 2 faces of a stem and a cylinder of the knitting ma: chine.

A further object of this invention is to proa `vide a holder for an oil supply, preferably adapted to be superimposed on the end of a stem of a knitting machine and having means for trans,- erring oil from the reservoir or oil holder to po..-` sitions where said oil or lubricant will belde? posited in Contact with the Walls or surfaces of the operating parts, that is to Say ihewstem `and cylinder; and it is furthermore the purpose .pf the inventor to provide the upper ,end of vthe stem with clearances or spaces in .which v,the lubricant dispensers may be lodged in such operative' relation to the inne-i` surface of the cylinder and the outer surface of the stemlthat lubrioant will nd its Way between the vSurfacesand aloizl efficient lubrication or oiling' or greasing of the contacting surf aces.

A still further object of the inventionisto provide a device of the `character which can be applied to installations or knitting machines now in operation Without material change `in :such installations,V and the said ,device is compara? tively ,inexpensive and has proven .efficient and satisfactory in use.

'With the foregoing and other objects V-in Mietv, the invention consists in the detailsv ,of construction, and in the arrangement andombintion of parts to be hereinafter more Afully set iorth and claimed.

In'describing the invention in detail, refeience Willbe had to the accompanying drawings form-` ing part of this application, Whereirilke char-J ac'ters denote corresponding parts in' 'thesoveial views, and in which:

Figure l illustrates asectonal view 1of ,a fregment `of a stem and cylinder Vasseinbled,,vvitlri lubricating device embodying the ,invention Nap-- plied thereto;

Figure illustrates a horizontal sectional View on :the -line i2-f2 vof Fig. l

Figureil illustrates `a viewinsde W,eleva tigifri df the lubricant tanl` and parts asocatedwith it; `Figure 4 illustrates a topdplan view of arrapment `of the lubricant holder;

Figure fillustrates a vertical sectional viewer the lubricant holder;

Figure 6 illustrates a horizontal section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5 of the lubricant holder or reservoir;

Figure '7 illustrates a sectional View of an assembly of a lubricant holder and stem, the upper end of the stem being modiiied and provided with holes in which the Wicks are lodged; and

Figure 8 illustrates a detail View of a modified means of lubricating the parts.

In these drawings I denotes a stem, l! a cylinder of a cylindrical knitting machine, the said stem having a key or spline (not shown), which projects into a slot i3 in the inner surface of the wall of the cylinder, so that by this means the cylinder and stem are maintained in alinement. rlhe cylinder carries conventional types of knitting instrumentalities lll which need not, it is thought, be described or illustrated in further 'detail for an understanding of this part of the invention.

In that embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 1, the upper end of the stem has its external surface beveled for a suitable distance, as at l5, to form a clearance in which lubricant distributors It are stationed, and these distributors preferably terminate at the junction of the inner wall of the cylinder and the outer surface of the stem, as shown in Fig. 1. The lubricant reservoir has a key or spline l2, movable in the slot I3 of the cylinder to hold it against rotation. The lubricant distributors are preferably in the nature of wicks whose ends are lodged in tubes l1 in the bottom of the lubricant holder or reservoir I9, the top of which reservoir has a filling aperture 2e and a vent hole 2l. The inner wall of the lubricant holder or reservoir is elongated to form a skirt 22 which ts within the stem, and preferably the joint between the stem and the cylinder is suiiciently close to result in a frictonal engagement which serves to retain the lreservoir in place, although it can be removed by lifting it from the end of the stem when new wicks are to be installed, or for other reasons.

The modiiied form as shown in Figure 7 is modified only to the extent that the upper end or" the stem lli has diagonally disposed holes or ducts 24 which extend from the transverse center, or approximately so, of the top oi the stem t0 the outer edge of the stem, so that in this form, lubricant is distributed in approximately the same fashion as that described in connerie..

tion with that of the other iigures of the drawing.

A still further modied means of distributing the lubricant might be adopted, as shown in Figure 8, wherein the beveled outer surface of the stem may form a lodgment for a lubricant l holder or distributor which, in this modified form, preferably comprises a fibrous element formed into a packing or ring 25 lodged in the channel 2S formed by the beveled upper end of the said stem. It is believed that those skilled in the art will appreciate the many advantages resulting from the prevention of corrosion of the contacting parts of the machine of this character and further rsum of the resultant advantages is believed unnecessary.

I claim:

l. In a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled,

the upper end of the stem being beveled to form 6 a clearance, a lubricant reservoir on the upper end of the said stem having wicks projecting downwardly through the said clearance for contacting the inner wall of the cylinder and dis- 4 tributing lubricant between the contacting surifaces of the cylinder and stem.

2. In a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled, lubricant reservoir on the upper end of said stem having wicks projecting downwardly through beveled clearances in the upper end of the stem and operative to contact the inner wall of the cylinder and distribute lubricant between the contacting surfaces of the cylinder and stem.

3. In a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled, a lubricant reservoir on the upper end of the said stem, a ilange extending downwardly and contacting the inner surface of said stem, the said reservoir having lubricant distributing elements extending downwardly through beveled clearances formed on the upper end of the stem and operative to distribute lubricant to the rcontacting surfaces of the stem and cylinder.

4. In a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled, the upper end of the stem being beveled to form a clearance a lubricant reservoir on the upper end of said stem, a lubricant distributing element in the said clearance and communicating with said reservoir and operative to convey lubricant to the contacting surfaces of the stem and cylinder.

5. In a'cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled, said stem having its external surface at its upper end beveled to form a clearance, alubricant reservoir positioned on the upper end of said stem, and means positioned in said clearance and communicating with said lubricant reservoir for lubricating the contiguous surfaces of the stem and cylinder.

6. InV a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and stem slidably assembled, said stem having its external surface at its upper end beveled to form a clearance, a lubricant reservoir positioned on the upper end of said stem and having openings in the bottom thereof communicating with said beveled clearance for permitting lubricant from said reservoir to pass through said clearance to the contiguous surfaces of the stem and cylinder.

7. In a cylindrical knitting machine having a coacting cylinder and a stem slidably assembled, a clearance formed at the upper end of the stem, a lubricant reservoir on the upper end of said stem, and means positioned at said clearance and communicating with said lubricant reservoir for transferring lubricant from the reservoir to the contiguous surfaces of the stem and cylinder.

WILLIAM R. SLAGLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Y Date 1,152,850 Scott Sept. 7, 1915 1,483,844 Drumheller Feb. l2, 1924 1,514,500 Berdon 'N0v. 4, 1924 2,120,796 Coile June 14, 1938 

